Display candle



D. w. DUNCAN 2,584,563

DISPLAY CANDLE Feb. 5, 1952 Filed Nov. 8, 1949' INVENTOR.

@wi I amma/n BY j Patented Feb. 5, i952 UN I'TE'DYF STATES ATEN T OFFICE DISPLAY ClQ'NDLE Dwight W. Duncan, Santa Ana, Calif.

' vAl tio November 8, 1949, Serial No. 126,123

' This invention relates to candles and more particularly to a candle adapted for use as a selfcontained, self-illuminating display device for the display of" lettering or pictorial representations.

In the art of candle-makingit is Well known that a candle can be so constructed as to burn centrally, leaving a wall or shell of un-burned or un-melted waxen material, by. the expedient of making the diameter of the candle excessively large in proportion to the diameter of the candle wick. The relatively small wick will then support only a relatively small flame, the heat of which is insufficient to. melt the distant candle wall. Howevenbeyond. use in making, nonguttering candles, this artifice of chandlery has not been exploited, to my-knowledge, to any use-. ful advantage, perhaps because a residual candle wall has appearedto ancient. chandler-s. not only as a waste of wax or'.ta11ow,'.but also as an ung desirable screen to the illumination. A further reason for non-use of the artifice has possibly been the fact that the periphery ofthe candle, even if not meltedto liquid consistency, atleast became softened to somedegree of plasticity in which it might be easily deformed and any conceivable utilitydestroyed. I

It is an object of my invention to provide a candle adapted to burnwith a residual wall, in

which'the wall is utilized as a display medium for advertising; matter, greetings, pictures, and like representations which it is desired to bring to the attention of observersin a novel and attractive manner.

Another object of the inventionis to provide a novel, illuminated; display device constructed as a candle and having the characteristic, common to candles, that it is easily molded and thereby may be made in diverse shapes and forms adapted to convey suggestions to an observer.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a candle exteriorly bearing insignia and representations of variouskinds which may be illuminated from within thecandlefand so .ap-, plied to the candle as tobe preserved with a high degree of permanence and fidelity while the candle is consumed from within.

The invention possessesother objects and advantageswhich will be pointed outas the following description of device's"embodyingthe'inven tion proceeds, or will be apparent'from consideration of that description and of the accompanying drawing illustrative thereof, in which: I is Figure 1 is an elevational View of a candle, of fanciful form and marking, illustrativeof possible display features or my, invention;

Figure 2 is a topplan viewof the candle shown in Figure 1, showing themanner in which the candle leaves a residual wallas-it burns;

Figure 3 is a vertical medial sectional View,

' taken onthe line of section-3 3st Figure land 4 claims. (01.40-130) Having reference now to the details of thedrawing, I have shown a candle 6 having a wide stubby body portion 7 of sufficient diameter that the candle wall 8 is beyond the melting range of a fiame generated on the wick 9. In the particu- V lar form of candle here shown, the body I is Lil) somewhat stubby as well as wide, resembling fancifully ill-Size and shape a beer-stein, and to enhance this resemblance a handle Ill has been molded integrally with the body I.

A candle made as-above described may suitably be used to advertise some brand of beer- Appropriate insignia l2, which may in this instance be the brand name. of a beer or the name of a brewing company, is disposed in the candle wall 8 so as to be visible to an observer of the candle. Several methods have been found suitable for placing the insignia I2 on the candle, as will hereinafter be described, but as a preferred method I first mold the candle body I to a diameter slightly less than but approximating the diameter of the finished candle, then place the insignia I2 upon the body 1, and then dip the candle again to cover the body and the insignia with a protective coating I3, as shown in Figure 3. The insignia [2 may be in the form of individual letters or pictures painted or otherwise imprinted upon the candle body 1, the wax of the candle body may be discolored by pigmentation, or the insignia may be embedded in the wax of the candle body. In the last-stated instance, which I have found preferable, the insignia may be imbedded as individual letters or pictures or parts thereof without sustainingbackground, but a simple and economical method is to imprint the insignia upon colorless transparent background material such as cellophane or clear waxed paper, impress an insignia-bearing strip of such material upon the wax body, and

then apply the coating [3 to conceal the strip and to.,preserve the insignia. Only the letters orpictures will be visible, both when-the candle isv lighted and when it is un-lighted.

Itis to be understood that the element l2 as shown in Figure 3, insofar as it representsinsignia printed upon a backgrocnd strip, is of greatly exaggerated thickness, for the purposes of illustration.

The coatingv I3 is preferably of clear trans parent wax or equivalent material, so that the insignia [2 are clearly'visi-ble therethrough when the candle is un-lighted, thus affording display of advertisingmatter at all times. If, however,"

the insignia l2 represent Salutations, intended to v be visible only when the candle i ntedgtlie coating [3 may be merely translucent. It may also have a color, either clear or translucent, differing from that of the wax of the body I. As the function of the coating [3 is primarily to protect the insignia l2, the coating need not cover the entire wall 8, although it may most easily be applied by dipping. For example, in the illustrated example of a candle fancifully representing a beer-stein, the body I of the candle may be of white wax, the coating [3 may be brown to simulate beer held in the stein, and the coating may extend only to the upper margin of the insignia l2. The un-coated body 1 appearing above the insignia ill will then appear white, giving the impression that the beer has a head. Thus the coating l3 may also have the function of 1 pictorial representation.

. In Figure 4 I have shown a candle wall havingon protective coating, the insignia l4 being of wax of the same general consistency as that of the body I. The insignia M may be produced by pigmenting the wax of the body 1. However, sharper outline may be produced by pressing a suitable dye into the body I when the latter is hot, to mold the insignia in untaglio, and then filling the depressions with wax of a color contrasting with the body "I.

As heretofore stated, the thickness of the wall 8, residual when the candle is burned, depends largely upon the ratio of the diameters of the candle body I and of the wick 9. As it will also depend somewhat upon the materials in the body 1 and the wick 9, to the extent that such materials control the generation of a flame of greater or lesser heat, precise diametral ratios will not be herein defined, the principles of non-guttering candles being well understood among chandlers. However, it should be here stated for the guidance of those skilled in the art that an excessive or exaggerated diameter of the candle body I is desirable, over and above the exaggeration normally provided in non-guttering candles, in order that the thickness of the residual unmelted wall 8 mayafford strength substantially exceeding the strength requisite in merely containinga pool of melted wax and in sustaining'the weight of the wall itself. With each increment in the radius of the candle above the non-guttering minimum, a greater peripheral surface is obtained for dissipating heat to the atmosphere, with the result that the outer .portion of the wall 8 may be cooled to a degree sub- -st antially below its melting or softening point, and will remain hard and firm enough to permit the candle to be grasped and transported without the use of a base or candle-holder. The cool outer surface also protects the insignia disposed thereon or close thereto. It also provides a firm base or foundation-for integrally molded projections such as the handle 10, an important function, since the use of metallic or other heatabsorbent foundations for handles or for insignia is undesirable, in that they develop hot spots and soon become loosened from the general structure by softening the wax in which they are imbedded. When a candle as herein described is lighted, it will, in burning, consume only the central part of the candle, leaving a strong wall 8. The light from the candle flame will penetrate the wall of translucent wax, causing the insignia 12 to appear in sharp silhouette. 7 When the candle is unlighted, the insignia [2 will appear as if painted on the wall surface, even though coated by a protectivecoating l3','being illminated by light externalto the candle.

I wish it understood that the embodiments of my invention, herein described, are only examples of many forms which the invention may take, and that the scope and spirit of the invention is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A device for the display of advertising matter comprising, in combination with a candle of such diametral proportions relative to the size of the candle wick that the interior of the candle will burn while leaving the exterior of the candle as an unmelted wall, said candle being of translucent material: advertising insignia carried by said candle adjacent the exterior of said wall and of contrasting color to said candle so as to be visible when said candle is unlighted and of sufiicient opacity to be contrastingly illuminated by light from said candle penetrating said wall.

2. A display device comprising: a candle having a translucent body of exaggerated diametral proportion relativelyto the thickness of the candle wick, whereby a substantial thickness of the periphery of said candle is beyond the melting range of a flame burning on said wick; and insignia adjacent the exterior surface of said candle and at the sides thereof, and of a color contrasting with the color of said candle.

3. A display device asset forth in claim 2 in which said insignia is imbedded in the body of said candle and is covered by a transparent outer coating.

4. A display device as set forth in claim 2 in which said insignia is imbedded in the body of said candle and is covered by a translucent outer coating.

5. A display device as set forth in claim 4 in which said insignia is imprinted on translucent strip material, said material being imbedded in said candle.

6. A display device as set forth in claim 4 in which the body of said candle is white wax and said outer coating is colored.

7. A display device as set forth in claim 2 in which said insignia is imprinted by discoloration of the wax forming the candle body.

8. A display device as set forth in claim 2 in which said insignia is imprinted by molding in the body of the candle, and the molded imprint is filled with material'of a contrasting color.

9. A display device as set forth in claim 2 in which the relative sizes of the candle and the wick thereof are adapted to cause a residual wall to remain when said candle is burned of suificient strength to permit said candle to be transported thereby.

10. A display device'as set forth in claim 9 in which said candle body has avhandle molded integrallywith said wall. p

DWIGHT W.-DUNCAN.

r V REFERENCES CITED I v The'following references are of record in the fileof this patent:

UnITED STATES PATENTS," Number Name Date 1,709,889 Tasker Apr. 23, 1929 2,058,584 Gastel Oct. 27, 1936 2,234,903 7 Muench Mar. 11,1941 2,354,343 j Webber' July 25, 1944 M FOREIGN PATENTS Number f Tdountrfy" j Date' Great Britain--. of 1905 

